


The God Complex; the details

by TimesBeingWhatTheyAre



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Episode Tag, Episode: s06e11 The God Complex, Essay, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-19
Updated: 2020-04-19
Packaged: 2021-03-02 00:29:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,366
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23726098
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TimesBeingWhatTheyAre/pseuds/TimesBeingWhatTheyAre
Summary: A look at the deeper meanings within 'The God Complex' and how it impacts the Doctor, and his relationship with Amy
Relationships: Amy Pond/Rory Williams, The Doctor & Amy Pond (Doctor Who)
Kudos: 10





	The God Complex; the details

**Author's Note:**

> Hi all,
> 
> This one's a bit odd. It's not a story- it's an article looking at the themes and developments of the 'God Complex' within its setting in season 6. Let me know your interpretations!

The God Complex was an episode absolutely full of tiny little details, tiny details that I pick up more of every single time I watch the episode (and believe me, I’ve watched it a lot). It is an episode that delves deeply into the psyche of the doctor, as is shown by its very title; the ‘God Complex’. Within the episode, one of the side characters, Rita, says to the Doctor ‘quite the god complex you have there’, and it is a comment as much to the audience as to the doctor. As a character, the doctor has been established over the course of literally 50 years, and so the audience’s belief (as much of the episode is about) is entirely in the doctor. At no point the audience believes that the doctor will fail, and in this way, the audience relates more to Amy than Rory as a companion because Amy always believes in the Doctor, first and foremost.

It isn’t clear from the start that ‘The God Complex’ will provide an exit point for the companions. It appears at first to be another adventure, typical of Doctor Who’s single episode story arcs, and also hints at a beginning of another companion in the form of Rita, who is consistently calm, witty and charming- the beginnings of a brilliant companion, with a point for representation as it is revealed that a clear part of her personality is based on her faith as a Muslim.

Rita’s words to the Doctor are thus possibly the most enlightening quotes of the episode. Her comment on his apparent god complex comes from the perspective of an outsider, of someone who has not grown up with stories of the Doctor- quite unlike both Amy and the audience in that regard (and, to a lesser extent, Rory). She is able to see the Doctor for who he really is, right from the beginning, and by the end of the episode, this becomes a central theme. Amy later asks the doctor ‘What do Time Lords pray to?’ and he doesn’t provide her with a response. And, for a series that has done more than its fair share of worldbuilding, the religions of Gallifrey is not something that has been discussed (apart from potentially on the sides of Classic Who episodes, where attention is not drawn to it). Amy’s question is therefore open-ended, much as the Doctor’s ‘room’ is, although the writers do provide one essential piece of dialogue on the latter- ‘Who else?’.

The Doctor’s worst fear is therefore a person, and logically, it would read that the Doctor’s worst fear is himself (whether in a different form or not). The Doctor is the title character; his most consistent singular enemy is The Master, who is not at all involved in the season 6 storyline, and being his own worst enemy would certainly be true to form. Only four episodes prior to ‘The God Complex’ is ‘A good man goes to war’, where the Doctor makes a point of saying that he is not a good man. Within the previous series, he says to the Dream Lord ‘There’s only one person in the universe who hates me this much’- himself. Therefore, the likely contents of the Doctor’s room would be himself, perhaps as he is or perhaps freed of his self-imposed ‘rules’, but the Doctor himself nonetheless.

The second half of the question surrounding the Doctor’s room returns to Amy’s question; what does the doctor believe in? This is far more complex a thing to work out, since it could range from anything from belief in himself, in the universe, in time, or possibly to belief in his companions or humanity. The last would appear most logical, given that the Doctor literally spends his life saving humans because of his inherent belief in their goodness, although this could be more personality than faith.

Rita’s other words of wisdom to the doctor foreshadow the doctor’s death, which has already been seen in the first episode of season 6 ‘The Impossible Astronaut’. She talks of Jahannam (hell) and says ‘I’ve tried to live a good life and that knowledge keeps me sane’. Her advice just as easily applies to the doctor, who knows his death is quickly approaching, and provides an unusual perspective in doctor who- that of religion.

Doctor Who is primarily is a science-fiction show, and it rarely delves into the spiritual, although on occasion will address the mental, and the use of Rita’s religion in ‘The God Complex’ provides an alternate view of death, which the doctor has spent much of the season exploring. The minotaur’s final words are particularly powerful when viewing the episode through its use of this theme, speaking of ‘an ancient creature, drenched in the blood of the innocents, drifting in space through an endless shifting maze’. At face value, these words are presumed to be about the minotaur itself, but all of the lines may also refer to the doctor, right up to the concept of the ‘endless, shifting maze’; a clever comment that makes you wonder whether the entire concept of the hotel was created just to ensure this comparison could be drawn. The minotaur goes on to say ‘[To] such a creature, death would be a gift’, and finally, hauntingly, ‘I wasn’t talking about myself’. A lot of the episode comes down to extracting the reality of the doctor from the magic and legend of his character, and again, these lines provide an alternate view of the doctor’s death. It is presented initially through the eyes of his companions, who cannot visualise death as anything but terrible, but ‘The God Complex’ shifts this narration into the hands of the doctor, who has a different response to death to his companions because he is so much older and more experienced than they are. In light of this, Amy’s faith appears all the more childish.

Young Amelia Pond waiting in the room creates the perfect mixture of irony and symbolism for the development of the characters of both the Doctor and Amy. It highlights the core of the relationship between the two characters, as the Doctor says ‘it’s time to finally see each other for who we are’. The Doctor has always seen Amy as the ‘girl-who-waited’, unable to fully conceptualise that she has grown-up, and Amy has always seen the doctor as her ‘Raggedy Doctor’, and all the idealism of him that she had as a little girl and never grew out of. Therefore, her loss of childish faith in the Doctor is what enables her to ‘grow up’ in both of their minds, and is thus the reason that Amy must leave him (at least for the moment). Earlier in the episode, the Doctor indicates that ‘grown-ups’ are the sensible ones and ought to be responsible- the reason why he buys Amy and Rory a house; both a physical demonstration of their adulthood and a responsibility for them to settle down, as the Doctor never can.

The Doctor’s choice to leave Amy and Rory comes from his revelation too. He sees that he has been childish by inviting them onto his Tardis, and indeed childishly selfish because they will always come to bad endings. He admits as much to Amy, who is able to take on a new role of confidant because of her progression from blind faith in the Doctors abilities, hinting that they can still develop a new relationship in the future. His recognition of Amy’s adulthood is seen through his use of her actual name (‘Amy Williams’) as opposed to the ‘fairytale’ name of ‘Amelia Pond’, the young girl. Additionally, he says goodbye to young Amelia through a kiss on the forehead, and Amy later mirrors that gesture as he leaves.

Amy has grown up, and so has the Doctor. ‘The God Complex’ creates the turning point where he begins to listen to the messages of the previous episodes (‘Night Terrors’ and its message of facing your fears and ‘The Girl Who Waited’ and a possible ending to Amy’s journey with the Doctor). He makes his goodbyes to Amy and Rory, and the next episode ‘Closing Time’ will continue this theme.


End file.
